(AP) – Mississippi State University researchers say that some
rice farmers can use much less water and get the same yield by flooding their
fields at the start and end of the season, and letting them dry out a bit in
between.
Irrigation specialist Jason Krutz says that’s a radical change from
recommendations across the Rice Belt to keep two to four inches of water in the
fields. Instead, he recommends letting fields dry until water is 4 inches below
the soil surface, then re-flooding them.
He says that can cut water use 30 percent without hurting yield.
Krutz says MSU’s tests were on high-clay soils, which probably make up about
half of Mississippi rice fields.
He says he believes Arkansas researchers will study its use in silt-loam soils
like those in Arkansas and south Louisiana.
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